Saving The Jerk Who Dumped Me
by CupcakeFlake
Summary: The Boiling Rock Part 2 AU. They needed a hostage to ensure their escape, and who better than the warden's niece? A Maiko fic about what should have happened, covering multiple episodes from Book 3.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so the first time I watched Avatar (well, okay, technically the second time. But the first time I watched it, I was in middle school and I forgot just about everything. The first time I really really watched it - and became obsessed - was like three years ago, I think.) I really got a shock during the Boiling Rock. When Sokka was explaining to Suki how they planned to take a hostage, and Suki said the warden wouldn't care, I was** _ **so sure**_ **they were going to take Mai as the hostage. I was kinda disappointed when they didn't.**

 **I rewatched this episode for like the millionth time today, and finally decided "What the hell. Might as well write it".**

 **(Before I started writing this, I found one other fic about this concept, and I loved it, so check it out (it's by LizBee)! It is a bit different than what I'd imagined, though, so don't worry, I'm not just copying it)**

 **And yes, I ship Maiko.**

 **Disclaimer: My friend once met the creators of Avatar at Comic-Con. It wasn't me. My name contains neither "Bry" nor "ke".**

 **O0o**

The guard clambered into the cell with all the grace of a saber tooth moose lion. "Ma'am!" He shouted, staring down the dark-haired girl who wore an unamused expression. "There's a riot going on! I'm here to protect you!"

If she listened closely enough, she could have heard the distant cries of the prisoners out in the yard. As it was, though, she simply didn't care. First, the guard interrupted her much-needed lashing out at her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, and then he had the audacity to presume she was defenseless. Were she more prone to sudden outbursts of emotion, she might have screamed at him.

Instead, she settled for a haughty but monotone, "I don't need any protection."

A chuckle came from the seat behind her, and she wasn't sure whether she should have been smug or irritated. "Believe me," said Zuko. "She doesn't."

"I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens," said the guard, still in a battle stance. His posture was all wrong, Mai noticed. If that was how they trained guards, then it was no wonder a riot had been able to break out.

The room flashed with fire, and in an instant, Mai realized Zuko was taking a chance. That idiot. She wasn't done with him yet. As he ran for the door, the guard ran not towards him, but to her.

Really? A prisoner was escaping, and you run for the girl with the shurikens?

"Get off of me!" She shouted, grabbing the guard and flinging him to the side. There wasn't time to check how shocked his expression was; Zuko was already bolting down the corridor. Mai dashed out the doorway as fast as she could in hot pursuit.

"Mai, what are you doing?" He asked, twisting his head to look at her. His eyes were widened, like he hadn't expected her to follow.

She could have rolled her eyes. "I'm not done with you!"

"I don't have time for this!" He shouted, sounding a bit more like the hot-headed man she had grown used to. "This could be my last chance to escape!"

This silenced her. Her feet kept slamming against the floor, mindlessly carrying her as she realized. He was right. She could be angry at him, furious even, but if she kept him detained any longer, he'd never escape. And if she let that happen, then it wouldn't be long before the Fire Lord was notified of his son's imprisonment. And then...she didn't even want to know what would happen to him.

And that, she had to admit, was _not_ an option.

The logical thing, then, was to let him go. Stay behind, where it was safe, and go home with Azula to the Fire Nation.

Oh, no.

 _Azula._

She quickened her pace best she could, and knocked out two of the guards with her knives. Zuko heard the noise and stalled, gazing at her in bewilderment. "Mai, wha-"

"Keep running!" She shouted, slamming her hands into the back of his shoulders to propel him further.

After a few steps, Zuko swallowed, getting the message, and pulled away from her. The two of them ran together, side by side. Mai flung her shurikens at any guards trying to apprehend them, but used them sparingly. She didn't know when she'd have a chance to restock. Zuko, in the meantime, was blasting fire at guards while also putting in a well-placed kick now and then.

She looked at him curiously. His firebending seemed different somehow. More powerful, but less angry.

Her stomach twiddled.

They jumped over the rails of a staircase, and rolled to a stop. Zuko glanced at her, reaching out his arms, then hesitating, as if the act was forbidden. Good.

"Mai," he said again. "What are you doing?"

"Azula's here," she said, noting how Zuko's eyes widened, but not in fear. "If she finds you, she won't hesitate."

He didn't ask "Hesitate to do what?" He didn't need to.

"But-"

A fireball came tumbling at them, and they rolled in either direction. Mai flung a knife at the guard who had attacked the pair, and then exchanged glances with Zuko. Her eyes were narrowed in determination. "I'm not going to let that happen."

The words, in a way, were a surprise, even to her. But Zuko just looked at her, eyes reflecting an imbalance between wonder, fear, and gratitude, before he nodded, planting an equally determined face. "Come on, then."

They ran straight into the middle of the mess. Zuko knocked out another guard, and then ran up to an mismatched-looking team. Mai followed. She only recognized one of them, the water tribe boy with the stupid boomerang, and he's the one who spoke. "Zuko! Good, you're here. Now all we need to...haaang on, what's she doing here?"

Mai shrugged. Zuko just said, "Don't worry, she's with me."

Sokka looked hesitant, but in the midst of the full-scale riot, he didn't have much time to argue. "Okay, fine, fine. Listen, all we need to do now is grab the warden, and get to the gondolas!"

Mai blinked. "Why do you need the warden?"

"He's our hostage," said the girl, narrowing her eyes at Mai with suspicion. Well, that was fine with Mai. She didn't exactly come here to make friends. Although the girl's voice did sound familiar...

"Hostage," repeated Zuko, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked sideways at Mai, then back at Sokka. Then back at Mai again. "You know what, I think we can do without the warden after all. Let's just focus on getting to the gondolas!"

The group of six jumped and began fleeing toward their escape, with Sokka looking still nervous. "Are you sure we don't need to go-"

"Trust me!" was Zuko's reply as the gondolas came into sight.

"We're almost there!" shouted Suki, relief in her voice.

A group of guards jumped in their way, blasting fireballs at them. As Zuko shoved Sokka out of the way, Mai pinned their sleeves to the walls, relishing in the sense of satisfaction as they tried to wriggle free.

Just then, more guards came running. Mai positioned herself to fight again, but before she could, Zuko grabbed her from behind, immobilizing her. She wriggled, ready to break free, but stop when he shouted, "Back off! We have the warden's niece?"

"Niece?" Sokka asked with a whisper. "Nice!"

The guards froze, staring at Mai, who quickly caught on to the ruse. She immediately stopped trying to beat Zuko up - though that would have been nice - and instead did just enough shaking to be it appear like she was in distress.

The soldiers, idiotic as they were, bought the act and backed off, leaving the space clear for the escapees. "Come on!" Zuko shouted, and they made their way toward the gondolas.

When they reached it, Suki grabbed the door. "Everyone in!"

They poured in, filling it like a sack. As Zuko started the gondola, Mai got the chance to really get an eyeful at the bizarre team. Four teenagers and two adults. Two benders and four non-benders. Four men, two girls. Three Fire Nation, two Water Tribe, and one Earth Kingdom. It was such an odd, bizarre team. Mai wasn't sure how she fit in, or if she even did.

She leaned back. Well, right now, she was just the hostage. Boring? Absolutely.

"What are you doing?" Asked Sokka, eyes nearly bulging.

"I'm making it so they can't stop us." The sound of Zuko's voice got her attention, and she looked up.

Sokka had his eyebrows raised. "Way to think ahead."

She watched the two boys with mild curiosity. They were complete opposites in several ways, and just a month ago they would have been at each other's necks for it. And yet, here they were, acting as friends, assisting each other, impressing each other without a hint of jealousy.

"We're on our way!" Suki shouted, and Mai looked at her, too. She really did sound familiar, but she couldn't quite place the face. And yet, whenever the two girls exchanged looks, familiarity flashed in the brunette's eyes, along with the sting of painful anger.

On the one hand, Mai wasn't exactly surprised that Suki would have that type of reaction. They were from warring nations, after all, and for Suki to have been placed in a prison with such high-level security, she must be really devoted to her country. And if the two _had_ met before, then it would make even more sense for her to be angry.

So no, it wasn't surprise that was itching Mai. It was the confusion. Suki's discontent seemed almost at a personal level, so how come Mai couldn't even recognize her?

"Wait," came a deep voice, snapping Mai's attention for a moment. It was the man, the Water Tribe leader. "Who's that?"

"That's a problem," said Zuko, head poking over the edge of the gondola as it carried them higher. He glanced sideways at Mai, and despite his slightly unreadable expression, Mai knew exactly what was going on before Zuko said, "It's my sister and her friend."

The sentence sent a funny feeling through Mai that took her a moment to be able to place. _My sister and her friend._ The sentence was so...detached, as if the fact was impersonal, as if they were strangers he knew _of_ , but didn't know.

Mai thought back to the foursome's stay on Ember Island. Fairly recent, all things considered, and yet it felt like a lifetime ago. Azula, Zuko, and Ty Lee had played volleyball, had crashed a party, had underwent major emotional upheavals around a campfire, fueled by the memorabilia Zuko found in their household.

It was odd thinking about it now.

What had happened since then? The four had grown closer, closer than they ever had been, in just a day.

And yet he looked at them as if they were practically strangers.

 _Save it? You're_ betraying _your country!_

 _That's not how I see it._

Her eyebrow creased, just a little bit. So what _did_ he see?

A grim, determined expression flashed onto Suki's face as she glared across the lake. "This is a rematch I've been waiting for."

"Me, too."

Something boiled inside Mai's stomach. As much as she disliked it, _that_ she could understand. When had Zuko and Azula ever gotten along?

Zuko, along with Sokka and Suki, slipped outside the edge of the gondola to climb to the top. Hakoda shot Mai a curious look.

"What?" She asked, trying to control her voice so she didn't sound too annoyed. It only sort of worked.

Hakoda didn't say anything, or if he did, she didn't care terribly enough to listen. Her mind was drifting to the presence of Azula and Ty Lee.

Mai had always been a calculating sort of person. It was what helped her do so well at throwing knives. She didn't fling them around wildly, but instead she took care to land the most precise shots possible. Enemies and friends alike had been known to call her formidable, and she knew it was the truth.

She looked before she leapt. She paused before she preached. Not one move, not one word was made on some impulsive whim. (She'd leave that to Ty Lee, who always said the first thing that came to mind.)

So what was she doing on this gondola?

A quick skim over the events in the past five minutes made it clear enough on the most basic of levels: she had been arguing with Zuko, and he escaped. She followed, and, realizing he was in danger, had helped. When they needed a hostage, she let herself play the part because every second counted.

Yes, it made sense if you thought of it like that. Except Mai hadn't been thinking, not a bit. She ran, following Zuko even after everything he'd done to her, helping him despite his betrayal.

And now here she was, listening to the fight on the roof as her enemies fought her friends. And she didn't move to help.

She was on the gondola because she needed to save Zuko, traitor or not.

When in the process did she become a traitor, too?

If she went to the top of the gondola and fought, which side would she fight for? Everything she had ever known, ever thought, ever done, told her to fight for Azula. Azula wasn't a traitor; Azula was a friend. Mai couldn't betray her country, not like Zuko did. That would be wrong. That would...

Except she never cared about that. Politics were one of the items on Mai's _Things To Pretend To Care About For The Sake Of Your Family_. It was a short list, granted, but it was there.

And that was the thing, wasn't it? Mai didn't care about "spreading the Fire Nation's prosperity." She didn't care if the Earth Kingdom revolted, or if some important city was taken down. Heck, she didn't even care about the _Avatar_ , of all people. She didn't join Azula because of patriotic pride, or because she wanted to fight for a worthy cause.

She joined Azula because she was _bored_.

For as long as Mai had known, she had felt mostly apathetic to the world. Everything was either dull or stupid, and if she didn't hate it, then she burned with utter indifference. She did was she was told because that was what she was told to do. She behaved because what else was there to do? Nothing held her interest, not truly, and not for long.

Except...

 _I don't hate you._

She closed her eyes. And breathed in the fumes of the boiling lake.

 _I don't hate you, too._

She hadn't said it then, because at the time she wasn't really sure what she was feeling. She wasn't even sure that she _was_ feeling anything. But as time went on, she realized that she wasn't totally indifferent, after all. Because amidst all the things that bored her in time, there was one thing - one person - that had her clinging like a child the entire time.

 _You're so beautiful when you hate the world._

One by one, he had managed to pluck her heartstrings, making her start to really **feel** , for once.

 _I know one thing I care about._

He made her feel alive.

 _I care about you._

She hadn't said it then, either, because at the time she wasn't ready to admit, not even to herself, what she was feeling. But she did know she was feeling something.

For as long as Mai had known, she had felt mostly apathetic to the world.

And then Zuko had returned.

It shouldn't have hurt, when he left. He had been banished before, and it didn't hurt. And yet the moment she read the paper, that _one, flimsy, STUPID piece of paper-!_

She had wanted to scream.

But she couldn't move.

 _Dear Mai, I'm sorry you that you have to find out this way_

No.

 _But I'm leaving._

HOW COULD HE THINK THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH?

 _Moron._

The day she read the letter was the day she first experienced overwhelming emotion. Her mind was a scattered mess, her hands shook, with fury and pain and hurt and shock and betrayal and everything she didn't know she had inside her-

The fight continued on top of the gondola.

The truth was, she had always known which side she would pick if she went up on that roof. But her mind couldn't even formulate the words. She couldn't bear to admit it.

(Once upon a time, Mai tolerated that which bored her. But now she sometimes felt like she couldn't breathe.)

"There's the warden's niece! I see her!" The shouts of the guards were growing more and more distant as the gondola tugged her further away from her past, from everything she had known.

Mai bowed her head.

"Someone get her back!"

The voice of her uncle.

"But sir-"

Maybe it was okay to admit

"NOW!"

that she had fallen in love.

Her hand drifted toward her shuriken.

 **Okay, so right now, I don't intend on continuing this story. It's not that I don't want to, but just that I want to write some other fics, too.**

 **But here's the deal: If/when this story gets at least 20 follows, I'll continue it. Reviews asking me to continue count as 1 extra point, and if it's an honest, thoughtful, significant review, it counts as 4. (Yes, I'm aware this little system is stupid, but whatever. I'm not going to keep writing unless people show me they want me to; there's a lot of stuff on my plate I could be doing instead. I'm not fishing for reviews. If nobody reviews and follows, that's fine. Less work for me.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wha...? A story I published in December, being updated in March? This kind of thing is unheard of!**

 **Okay, to be honest, I didn't actually expect anyone to read my story. In a way, that little promise I made in the last chapter was really an empty promise, but since I hate empty promises I'm following through. Go figure. But whatever. It's not like writing fanfiction is a horrible thing.**

 **Of course, halfway through the chapter, my computer messed up, and I couldn't use several keys, including the "t" and the "y" and the Ctrl key...so then I had to figure out some alternatives. And then life happened. Next thing you know, it's the middle of March.**

 **By the way, if you're reading this, there's a poll at the top of my profile and I'd appreciate if you'd go vote. (But then I** _ **always**_ **have a poll going on.)**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar, the freaking comics would have been the sequel show, and** _ **Legend of Korra**_ **would have been the comics. Just saying. (Don't hate me!)**

o0o

The gondola was swinging. This wasn't much of a surprise; there _were_ five people fighting on top of it.

Luckily, this wasn't a problem for Mai. If anything, the added challenge made the whole thing more interesting. She pulled herself to the roof with ease.

A quick scan told her everything she needed to know. Suki and Ty Lee were battling each other. The ex-prisoner was focused, but there was also a sort of anger in her face that suggested she had a personal vendetta. Ty Lee, in the meantime, was expertly dodging and swinging. She looked focused, too, with just a bit of worry. Mai wasn't surprised. Usually, Ty Lee's adversary would have been down by now.

Sokka and Zuko were teamed up against Azula. Sokka had a deadly black sword and was swinging it around with an impressive sort of mastery—leaving Mai wondering when the hell he learned to do that and what happened to that crummy boomerang of his—and Zuko was shooting powerful fire. Their combined attacks were pushing Azula toward the edge, but the princess didn't looked fazed or concerned. Mai knew that look. Azula wouldn't be going down easily any time soon.

Suddenly, the princess exchanged glances with Mai. Azula's eyes narrowed. Mai knew this look, too. Azula was calculating, trying to figure out exactly where Mai stood in this fight.

Then she smirked. She set off a giant flame that fanned the entire top of the gondola, barely missing Mai and Ty Lee. It would have scorched the others if they hadn't dodged instantly.

Mai faltered, but only for a moment. Azula had taken care not to hit her, which meant that she assumed Mai was still on her side.

Looks like Azula didn't know Mai as well as she thought.

The shuriken zoomed, and Azula barely managed to dodge it before several knives followed. The princess jumped off the gondola, grabbed the rope, and swung around, landing on the other side. She glared at Mai, who gave her a cold stare in return.

"What are you doing, Mai!" she practically growled, a strand of hair dangling across her face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Mai responded in her most spiritless voice. Before the princess could say another word, Mai flung her knives.

Four against two. Not bad odds, even if Azula was one of the two.

At the thought, Mai glanced out the corner of her eye to take a look at Ty Lee. The peppy girl was still battling Suki, but there was clear anxiety on her face. She kept glancing over at Mai and Azula, eyes glimmering with what might have been tears.

Mai almost winced. Ty Lee was getting really distracted, and any moment-

Suki pinned Ty Lee to the ground, and then wrestled her arms into a locked position behind her back.

Ty Lee on her knees. Mai never thought she would see the day.

Something pinged inside of her. Guilt? No, that couldn't have been it. Mai wasn't exactly _prone_ to feeling guilt.

She trained her attention back at Azula, who was apparently just as stunned as her at the sight of a downed Ty Lee.

And of course, Zuko wasn't going to let this moment go to waste. A huge blast of golden fire launched at Azula, and she narrowly dodged it. But Mai saw the tips of her hair get singed.

Was this really happening?

Suki stood up, still pinning down a terrified Ty Lee, and glared at Azula.

The princess was cornered. Mai had her knives aimed, Sokka had his sword drawn, Suki was in a battle stance, and Zuko's hands were curled into a fist.

Azula's eyes shifted, glancing at each one, studying their positions. Her gaze stilled at Mai.

Mai didn't move.

Time seemed to slow down. Azula's eyes narrowed. The wind was blowing.

Then there was a yelp, and Ty Lee rolled free from her grip. At the same moment, Azula leapt up, narrowly dodging Zuko's blast of fire.

Mai took aim, but Azula's fingers crickled with lightning, and she knew to jump out of the way. The lightning crackled, barely missing Sokka's head, and the princess leapt up and balanced herself on the cord expertly. Ty Lee didn't hesitate to join. Azula gave Mai a look, both piercing and bewildered, but instead of lingering, she turned around. "Cut the line!"

Zuko's eyes widened. "What?"

"Ty Lee, it's time for us to leave." She gave her brother one sharp look. "Goodbye, Zuko," smirked Azula, and started running down the wire. Ty Lee swung her head frantically between the princess and Mai, eyes nearly tearing up, before following Azula back to the prison.

The four teens left on the gondola quickly ducked back inside.

"They're cutting the line!" Shouted Zuko at Chit-Sang and Hakoda. "The gondola's going to go!"

"I hope this thing floats," said Hakoda, grimly.

The energy inside the gondola rivaled the boiling lake below. Sokka stood to attention. "How much time do we have before this thing falls?"

"They're going to wait until Azula and Ty Lee reach the ground," said Mai, and everybody stared at her as if they had forgotten she existed. What joy. She felt really appreciated here. "And from what I've seen, the ropes are a little thick. One to two minutes, tops."

"Then we need a plan, and fast," said Suki, looking around.

Sokka's eyes were trained on the line. The battle had taken a good amount of time, so they were almost at the top. "Everybody onto the rope!" He shouted, backing away from the window so everybody could pass. "As soon as that line breaks, we're going to have to climb the rest of the way up. We're close enough that we shouldn't have to worry about the rope dipping into the lake."

The others nodded, and one by one, the others climbed out of the gondola and grabbed hold of the rope: first Chit-sang, then Suki, then Hakoda, then Mai. Fists gripped tightly onto the rope and started to crawl closer to safety.

Behind her, she could hear Zuko climbing out the window. "Sokka, this is a pulley."

"I know that! So what?"

"It means the line doubles back. It's not tied to the cliff. As soon as the rope cuts, the other end is going to come unraveling down, too."

"I'm working on that," said Sokka, sounding like he was gritting his teeth. "If I throw my boomerang just right, it should wedge into the machine and keep the rope stuck in place."

"You sure that'll work?" Zuko's voice sounded skeptical.

"Got any better ideas?"

There wasn't a reply, but suddenly the rope wobbled a bit, which Mai knew was Zuko climbing onto the rope.

"Move faster, everyone!" shouted Zuko, and Mai could see the people ahead of her speed up. There was another jerk of the rope, and Mai took this to mean Sokka was climbing, too.

"Throw the boomerang, Sokka!" shouted Suki from up ahead.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" There was some grunting and another jostle of the line, and suddenly a blue boomerang was whizzing past her head, toward the gear, and-

"Sokka! You missed!" Zuko's voice was full of frustration.

"It's hard to throw when you're hanging off a rope!" came the response.

Mai sighed. Funny how these things kept seeming to boil down to her. Someone should really give her a prize.

Loosening one hand's grip on the line, she reached into her robes and plucked out one of her larger knives. She squinted at the edge of the cliff, keeping an eye on the gear that rumbled along with the line, and pulled her arm back.

"I've got this," she said.

And then the line snapped free.

The rope clambered through the gear, and the six people on the rope came tumbling down, dragged by the weight of the gondola.

The others screamed. But not Mai. She just took a breath.

So many moments in life were tedious and dull. Conversation, waiting, travelling...she had always been stifled by the boringness. Every moment made her question if it would be any different dead.

But not this. As they were spiraling down toward a boiling lake, she felt one thing.

Alive.

She flung the knife into the sky, and grabbed a tighter hold of the rope.

There was a jerking, and suddenly the group was slamming into the edge of the cliff. Mai glanced up and down, and noticed to her satisfaction that nobody had fallen off.

"Mai," said Zuko, with a faint sound of awe.

"You're welcome," said Mai, rolling her eyes.

Before Zuko could reply to that, Sokka called up, "That knife's not going to hold us forever! Everybody start climbing!"

As she tugged her way up the rope, she wondered if Azula had seen them yet. The question kept nagging at the back of her mind, but she didn't dare waste time turning around to look.

This...

This was crazy.

There was Suki above her. A Fire Nation prisoner. An enemy of her country. And what was she doing? _Helping the girl escape_. Betraying her country. Just great. She didn't even want to know how Azula would react when she found out—and if there was one thing Mai could be certain of regarding Azula, it was that the Fire Princess _would_ find out sooner or later—that they had escaped.

Of course, the question was moot if they didn't escape. With that in mind, Mai climbed a little faster.

Chit-sang had already reached the top, and was helping Suki up. Two Fire Nation prisoners. And who was Chit-sang, anyway? Suki and Hakoda at least had obvious connections to Sokka, but who was this guy to just come along on their escape? He was from the Fire Nation, certainly, but all that meant was that he wasn't a war prisoner.

A war prisoner...

She glanced up at the top of the ledge, where Suki was helping Hakoda up.

Suki had to be a war prisoner, too, which meant...

 _Oh_.

She was almost at the top of the line now, and she risked a glance around the the other end of the Boiling Rock. Azula was glaring at them, but without the line or any source of transportation, there was no way for her or Ty Lee to follow them.

Ty Lee...

Hakoda was eying Mai, and for a moment Mai was certain that he was going to say something or refuse to help her up, but he held out his hand for her anyway. Instinct told her to refuse, to just make her way to the rope of the cliff on her own, but time was of the essence, and any second spent pulling herself up was a second wasted...

She grabbed the man's hand and hauled herself up.

In a single swoop, she was kneeling on the edge, gazing down into the depths of the boiling rock. Her eyes widened at the sight.

Then her eyes trailed to Zuko, who was climbing the rope straight towards her.

He was so confident in his actions. Here was Mai, dwelling on the prisoners she helped escape, thinking about how it was all a betrayal...

 _That's not how I see it_.

He had sounded so sure.

Despite everything that had happened in the past several years, she had always respected Zuko in his own way. Back when they were kids, he had always seemed so confident of himself, so determined to succeed even when Azula would try to show him up. When he returned from exile, he was a different person. Nicer to her, true, and considered a hero, but different. Less confident. He questioned everything he did, every action he took.

 _I'm angry at_ _ **myself**_ _!_

She loved being with Zuko then, but that wasn't the Zuko she had fallen in love with.

She looked down at him now, pulling himself up with ease.

This was.

She held out her hand.

He looked up at her, blinked as if he had no idea what she was doing, and then smiled.

Don't you dare smile who said you could smile don't you dare misinterpret this—

He took her hand and pulled himself up.

"Come on, Sokka!" he shouted down, and Mai glanced down to see Sokka scrambling up the rope. Despite the clumsiness she had noticed whenever they had fought in the past, he seemed perfectly at ease climbing up a rope when, at any second, the line could snap and send him to his death—

The line!

She swung her head around and stared at the gear. Why had no one thought to check it? It was shaking, the knife vibrating under the pressure—

In an instant, everything happened at once. Sokka shouted, Zuko flinched, Hakoda darted forward—

And the knife popped out, sending the line spiraling down.

o0o

 **And We Never Saw Sokka Again.**

 **THE END!**

 **Nah, I'm kidding.**

 **(This chapter was awful omg but let's hope the story improves with time.)**

 **By the way, if you have any questions about the reasoning I'm using on this story, PM me or leave a (logged in) review. There's a reason behind every choice I make.**

 **Also, to answer a reviewer's question: No, there will not be any Sokkla. The only thing that stops this story from being canon is the fact that Mai ran with Zuko instead of being locked in. (Of course, if you can give me a logical argument as to why Sokkla would happen** _ **as a result of the canon divergence in my story specifically**_ **, then we might have something.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter!**

 **I don't have anything to really comment...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

o0o

"We'll miss him greatly," Suki said, a solitary tear slowly trickling down her face.

Hakoda put his hand on the young warrior's shoulder. "He's in a better place now."

There were gentle sobs all throughout the Western Air Temple as the members of Team Avatar mourned the loss of Sokka. Even Momo was too solemn to do any more than a pitiful whine.

Mai was too ratchet to do anything except throw knives at the stone. Most of the knives went in, but a sudden bump in her back made her lose focus.

"Mai," came Zuko's regret-filled voice. "Aren't you going to come join the funeral?"

"Does it look like I give a freaky-dink, Zuzu?"

Zuko scoffed. "Don't you talk to the Am Drag like that! I'm the mack daddy dragon of the NYC, ya heard?"

Katara groaned. "Zuko, how many times do we have to tell you, _you're not Jake Lon-_ "

"ROSE!" he shouted, hugging Katara. "YOU DECIDED TO QUIT THE HUNTS CLAN FOR ME!"

In all this hullaballoo, Mai accidentally threw a knife at Appa, who promptly fell off the cliff and was too swaggalicious to fly to safety.

And then Aang lost his sh*t and went into the Avatar state and started a fire powerful enough to destroy the world.

Firelord Ozai was jelly because the Avatar had stolen his idea. He had a vision in the mirror of Ursa and cut his hair. Then he went to a poetry slam to vent where he found his true calling, eventually to become the Poet Laureate for the Fire Nation.

Aang was crowned the Phoenix King and everyone started worshipping him. Several statues of him were erected.

three years later, he had a heart attack and died.

Then Sokka returned home (he had caught a branch and actually wasn't dead after all) and beat up Master Pakku for doing the frick frack with his Gran Gran. Then he crowned himself the king of the lemurs or something idk. Since Momo was the only lemur around, Momo became Sokka's slave. At least, until the Great Uprising of 1919, but that's another story.

Oh and I think there was a new Avatar but who cares I mean Korra wasn't even born yet.

And and Appa came back to life and was a witness to the marriage of Foo Foo Cuddly Poops and Hawky.

THE END!

 **(what)**

 **(oh and I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long, either.)**

 **(happy April Fool's Day, folks!)**


	4. Actual Chapter 3

**Here, ladies and gents, is the next totally-on-time-not-five-months-late-at-all-what-on-Earth-are-you-talking-about installment of Saving The Jerk Who Dumped Me!**

 **o0o**

Mai's first instinct was to just stand there. This wasn't the first time she had been around the water tribe boy, after all, and for each encounter until now, she knew that if he was in any immediate danger, she wouldn't have helped him. Sokka was her enemy, after all, so whatever happened to him was completely irrelevant to her; in fact, it was even a little helpful.

But there was one big problem glaring at Mai. Despite all of the fighting, despite the war, despite the fact that she carried dozens of knives with her at any given time, she had never killed anyone. Heck, she had never even seen anyone die. When people got in her way or opposed her, she pinned them to the wall. When they seemed to be a serious threat, she might slam them against a hard surface to knock them out. But she had never taken a life.

And maybe this wasn't her fault. Maybe Sokka falling had nothing to do with her.

But she still hadn't ever seen anyone die before.

And she didn't want to start now.

As the world melted into slow motion around her, she reminded herself of another reason to do this: she was here for Zuko, and Zuko was here for Sokka, which meant in a way she was on his side.

In a flash, she jumped to the edge of the cliff and yanked several knives from their hiding place in her sleeves. The others were grabbing the gear to slow it down, but she knew people well enough to know that as soon as the rope came loose, it would be anyone's automatic response to let go, which meant Sokka would fall no matter what.

Sure enough, as she stared over the edge, the boy was flailing his arms in a feeble attempt to regain balance. She took a deep breath, knife poised over her shoulder, aimed, and flung with all her strength.

The knife soared downward, straight at Sokka. Mai could feel the breath of the others around her, gazing over the edge to see what was happening. The rope was secure now, held down by the combined strength of Chit-Sang and Hakoda, but Sokka still fell.

Until the knife pinned his sleeve to the cliff wall.

It wasn't a perfect shot, and she could see the knife jitter around, threatening to wriggle loose at any given moment, but Sokka was already grabbing hold of the rocks sticking out. Once he had a firm grip on the handholds, he tugged his sleeve free and stuck the knive into rock higher up, then used it to pull him up. His face was contorted, as he winced and struggled to pull himself up, but for the most part he seemed unharmed.

"Sokka!" Mai glanced over to the sound of Zuko calling out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm all right!" the boy called back, grunting as he pulled himself up another foot. Through the humid air and the deafening sound of the boiling lake below, she could hear him mutter, "I told him I'm a good rock climber."

Suki and Mai exchanged puzzled looks.

The walls looked slippery, with the steam clinging to the rocks, but this didn't deter the boy, who kept climbing. It occurred to Mai that he was probably used to moist surfaces, coming from a water tribe, with icy rocks and glaciers. As he reached the now-secured rope, he used that to help his ascent.

Finally, he was near the ledge where the others stood, and Zuko bent over to pull him up. The two boys gripped hands, and soon Sokka was kneeling on the ground, pushing his hand against a rock to help him stand. He brushed his arms off, and responded when Suki gave him a brief hug, then glanced at Mai. "Hey," he said, looking highly uncomfortable. "Thanks for the…uhh…knife-throwing…rescue…ah, thing."

"You're welcome," was her response. Because what else was she supposed to say? She turned around and stared at the other side of the empty space, where the princess was glaring at them murderously. Chit-Sang and Hakoda let go of the gear and looked around.

"Well, we made it out," said Suki, standing up. "Now what?"

"Mai," said Zuko, head snapping to her. "You got here with Azula and the others. How?"

She nodded. "By airship. It should be just around the corner."

"Do you know how to operate it?" asked Hakoda.

Before Mai could shake her head, Zuko took her arm, causing her heart to flutter. Stupid. "I do. Let's just get out of here."

They started running, and the six fugitives disappeared beyond the volcano.

o0o

There was a lot of grunting in the corner as Zuko and Chit-Sang lit the fuel aflame. Metal clanged around the whole interior smelled and tasted of steel and burning gas. Mai made a face. She hated these stupid machines. There were even more miserable than the drill. At least then she could go out and attack any approaching Earthbenders.

Sokka was sitting near the window, talking very loudly and waving his arms about. Suki was next to him, leaning against the wall casually with her arms folded, and Hakoda was in front of the two, listening to Sokka with an amused smile on his face, nodding every now and then.

Mai studied Suki intently. It had taken her a while to place the girl's voice, but listening to Sokka say her name in passing had jolted her memory.

 _Um, I'm kind of involved with Suki._

 _Who?_

It was obvious now, and she was a bit annoyed at herself for not catching on earlier. The girl had the exact same voice as the leader of the Kyoshi warriors. This was the girl who had fought Azula one-on-one as the trio ambushed the warriors.

 _This is a rematch I've been waiting for._

When Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had copied the Kyoshi warriors' makeup, they hadn't bothered to wipe the faces of the captured girls. Mai hadn't even bothered to think what they might look like under the makeup, so it was interesting to look at now.

It was sort of like comparing the scar-less Zuko she had grown up with against him now. Aside from the scar and the obvious aging, his hair was different. He had worn his hair up during their time in the Fire Nation, but only during formal occasions or when the public was watching. She definitely preferred him with his hair free from any constraints, although she did have mixed feelings about the prisoner uniform he wore now. On the one hand, it provided her a bitter satisfaction to see the man who had hurt her dressed in such a modest prison uniform, but on the other hand, it felt wrong in a way she couldn't quite place. He, on the other hand, seemed to not even care what he wore. Not in the slightest. Quite a change from the guy who had boasted of his fruit tart-summoning power as prince.

Just as she had finished mulling that over, she heard her name being called. She glanced up and saw Zuko wiping his hands and walking up to her.

"Hi, Zuko," she said.

"Are you all right?" he said, lips curving into a very faint worried frown.

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just betrayed your country. You just betrayed _Azula_."

She sighed. "Is there any particular reason you're reminding me of all this?"

He twitched, apparently annoyed at her typical blasé attitude. Well, good. He should be annoyed.

"I'm just worried about you, Mai."

Shoot. No, no, he was _not_ allowed to talk to her in that voice. Her heart squeezed, and she wanted to stifle it before it could betray her emotions. She looked up at Zuko, and as she spoke, she made sure each word came out controlled, not hinting at any feeling except moderate disinterest and neutrality. "Well, don't be. I made my choice."

Zuko nodded. "Good. Yes—I mean, good that…you're not…that is, I'm glad you're okay—I mean, not that you wouldn't be—"

Before she could stop herself, a faint chuckle slipped out of her lips, effectively shutting the firebender up. He was looking at her, a bit confused at her sudden reaction.

Well, the cat was out of the bag now. She shook her head gently. "You don't have to start stuttering around me, you know. It's weird." Her voice had some of that fuzzy warmth that only came out around him. "I know what you meant. Let me know when we get to…wherever we're going, all right?"

He nodded, and she could have sworn she saw his cheeks turn just a little pink. "Right."

 _Good_ , she thought.

 **o0o**

 **Guys, I don't even know what I'm writing anymore. Why are you reading this again?**

 **Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 2!**

 **Guest: Bad grammar in one sentence? I'll take it. I'm too lazy to use spellcheck or even write a second draft (if I was getting paid, that would be one thing, but this is fanfiction), so only one mistake is a true accomplishment. XD**

 **Buonumore: Agreed, the plot will definitely wind up different. When I started the story, it was meant to be a oneshot, so I don't have a definite plot laid out, but by now I've got a strong idea of where I want it to go, at least.**

 **CaraLee934: Your review seriously made my day. Taking Mai totally seemed like the logical solution; it's so weird that they didn't. And I appreciate your comments on the voice; my greatest fear in writing fanfiction is that the characters are OOC, and Mai's an exceptionally tricky character, so I'm glad you think I'm doing it right.** **((** **And I ship the Sokka and Zuko bromance so hard))** **what?**

 **Scribe of Aurora: Haha, thanks for tuning in to my story. Let me know if you like/loathe the way the story progresses.**


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